When Teddy Swims dropped Bad Dreams on September 13, 2024, fans knew they weren’t getting just another heartbreak anthem—they were getting an aftershock of Lose Control’s rawness, this time woven with midnight shadows and whispered regrets.
As the lead single from his sophomore album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2), Bad Dreamsbuilds on the emotional universe Swims created in his breakthrough hit, offering a darker, more introspective meditation on longing and insomnia.
At just over three minutes, Bad Dreams wastes no time setting its mood.
A subtle, mellow bassline opens the track, crafted by producers Julian Bunetta, Matt Zara, and John Ryan, who layer delicate synths and restrained percussion over Teddy’s velvet rasp.
It’s a sound that leans into pop-soul and pop rock, but never loses Swims’ signature warmth, even as it edges into the surreal.
If Lose Control was a cry for help, Bad Dreams is a conversation with the ghosts that follow.
The production mirrors the lyrics’ push and pull—quiet moments teeter into swells of frustration, while the chorus lands like an exhale after too many nights staring at the ceiling.
Orie McGinness, best known for his work with Bad Omens, directed the music video, turning Swims’ emotional spiral into a surreal maze of subconscious alleyways, with flickering neon signs and vanishing doors echoing the track’s theme of feeling trapped inside your own mind.
The lyrics of Bad Dreams unfold like a confessional. “Sun is going down, time is running out / No one else around but me”
Right from the start, Swims paints a picture of solitude. The imagery of a setting sun isn’t just a timestamp—it’s a signal of encroaching loneliness.
As light fades, so does his sense of clarity, symbolised by his confession of “steady losing light, steady losing my mind.” The shadows and “grinding teeth” evoke anxiety creeping into the night.
In the pre-chorus, he admits:
“Without you, there ain’t no place for me to hide / Without you, there’s no way I could sleep tonight”
Here, the “bad dreams” aren’t just nightmares—they’re the waking realization that peace is unattainable without his lost love. Swims isn’t running from monsters; he’s running from absence itself.
The inability to hide signals emotional exposure, the kind that no blanket or locked door can shut out.
The chorus anchors the song’s meaning:
“Slipping into bad dreams / Where there’s no you and I / No sound when I cry”
These lyrics encapsulate the heartbreak of disappearing intimacy. Even in his subconscious, his partner is missing.
The silence “when I cry” suggests a loneliness so profound that even his own pain feels muted—a disconnection from his emotions and from anyone who could bear witness.
In the second verse, the desperation deepens:
“Baby, please come around, help me settle down / Hellish habits can cloud my head”
We see a plea not just for reconciliation, but for relief from destructive cycles.
The “hellish habits” could be anything from insomnia to substance use to intrusive thoughts, but the takeaway is clear: he can’t escape without her.
And when he asks: “What you waiting for? Something physical? / I can’t do this by myself”
Swims reveals his vulnerability—both physical and emotional. This line shifts the narrative from pure heartbreak to codependency, highlighting the way love can intertwine with survival.
Each chorus repetition and post-chorus “Ooh, ooh, bad dreams” serves like an echo chamber, reinforcing the claustrophobia of heartbreak.
By the end, the song feels less like a linear story and more like a loop—appropriate for a song about being stuck inside restless nights.
The meaning of Bad Dreams by Teddy Swims doesn’t exist in isolation—it follows a trajectory set by Lose Control, which skyrocketed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, earned over 2.2 billion streams, and placed Swims in Spotify’s Billions Club.
While Lose Control shouted through the pain, Bad Dreams whispers it, resigned yet still yearning.
Co-written with a powerhouse team—John Ryan, Julian Bunetta, Matt Zara, Mikky Ekko, Rocky Block, and Sarah Solovay—the song stands as a collective reflection of heartbreak’s universality.
Even as he’d found new love with Massachusetts singer Raiche Wright by the time of release, Swims channels a heartbreak suspended in amber—untouchable, never forgotten.
Following its release, Bad Dreams climbed charts worldwide, hitting #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 in the UK Singles Chart, and #1 on Latvia’s Airplay.
Certified Platinum in the UK, France, and Netherlands, and Gold in the US, Australia, and Spain, the song cemented Swims’ staying power beyond his viral breakout.
Critics praised its “soul essence” and vulnerable delivery, while fans on platforms like Reddit debated whether it surpassed Lose Control in emotional heft. Many felt it represented Swims’ best work to date.
Swims debuted Bad Dreams at the 2024 MTV VMAs, pairing it with a medley of Lose Control and a haunting cover of Rihanna’s Stay.
Later appearances at the Brit Awards 2025, Jingle Bell Ball, and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon showcased the track’s adaptability—from stripped acoustic sets to full-scale stage productions.
Bad Dreams taps into a universal fear: what if the person we love the most leaves, and we’re left alone not just in life, but in our very dreams?
Teddy Swims doesn’t just explore that question—he sings from inside it, making every lyric a thread in a larger tapestry of heartbreak and healing.
Bad Dreams feels destined to become a live staple—its quiet ache made for intimate venues, its anthemic chorus ready for singalongs.
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Teddy Swims Bad Dreams Lyrics
Verse 1
Sun is going down, time is running out
No one else around but me
Steady losing light, steady losing my mind
Moving shadows and grinding teeth (Ooh)
Pre-Chorus
Without you, there ain’t no place for me to hide
Without you, there’s no way I can sleep tonight
What I’d do for a little bit of peace and quiet
Without you, I keep
Chorus
Slipping into bad dreams (Bad dreams)
Where there’s no you and I
No sound when I cry
I love you and I need you to set me free
From all of these
Bad dreams (Bad dreams)
Waitin’ on the other side
No sound when I cry
I love you and I need you to set me free
From all of these, all of these
Post-Chorus
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Bad dreams
Ooh, ooh, ooh
All of these
Verse 2
Baby, please come around, help me settle down
Hellish habits can cloud my head (Mm)
What you waiting for? Something physical?
I can’t do this by myself
Pre-Chorus
Without you, there ain’t no place for me to hide
Without you, there’s no way I can sleep tonight
What I’d do for a little bit of peace and quiet
Without you, I keep
Chorus
Slipping into bad dreams
Where there’s no you and I (You and I)
No sound when I cry
I love you and I need you to set me free (Set me free)
From all of these (All of these)
Bad dreams
Waitin’ on the other side
No sound when I cry
I love you and I need you to set me free (Set me free)
From all of these, all of these
Post-Chorus
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Bad dreams (Bad dreams)
Baby, please
Ooh, ooh, ooh
All of these (Baby, please)
All of these
